Tuesday, 30 July 2013

Almost twenty years ago Dominique and I lived in a small wooden chalet by the sea, here in the south of France. It was built in the 50's and was in a pretty much neglected state when we moved in. Three years later is was paradise. We sanded the floors, sanded the doors, added a bathroom, redid some of the plumbing, painted, painted, painted and decorated until it was home. Set in a wild garden with huge oleander bushes, oak cork trees and figs (oh my those figs!), we just had to cross the road to go for our morning and evening swim.

My eldest son Dylan was born here. "Le Vert Clos", as it was called, was a truly magical place.

Years later, when we'd moved to a bigger house, we found out that the landlord had sold the chalet, or rather, had knocked it all down to sell the land, which is so expensive by the sea. It breaks my heart to see the concrete monstrosity that stands in its place now.

We have such good, happy memories of Le Vert Clos though, and kept the house name plate that once hung on the tall wooden gate in the garden. A cherished possession chez nous. That chalet shaped our taste for simple interiors and still inspires us to create a holiday home atmosphere wherever we live now.

Friday, 19 July 2013

Acrobats and dogs, hmmm, that sounds an interesting theme for a kids' collection. Encore une fois, thanks for the inspiration Pablo Picasso!

I caught a glimpse of Efvva's new Autumn/ Winter collection the other day and loved these first images shown above. But I'm not surprised, Ewa Wrobel-Hultqvist 's kids' wear always stands out from the crowd! Her clothes are original, eye-catching and beautifully made (Miles has a pair of her exquisite leather shoes), not least because they are handpainted in Poland on 100% certified Oeko Tex®safe fabric.

For modern kids who love colour,this happy collection is sure to put a smile on your face in the cold winter months.

Tuesday, 16 July 2013

I am, but I'm aware that my tastes have changed over the past four years.

I still love following foreign blogs like Denodada though. I was drawn in right away.

Browse just a few pages and you will discover a sensitive, thoughtful English teacher who is taking care of her beloved Grandma after two strokes and a wonderful ceramic artist and illustrator. I hope these few images inspire you to have a peek at Denitsa's work and stay a while.